Chef Julie Francis at Nectar Restaurant has been offering
Dinner Clubs for years. It’s her creative way of building customer loyalty and
breaking out of the menu rut every now and then with something completely
different. The dinner club menu is generally based on a seasonal ingredient:
beets, garlic, honey, pork. Always local, always top quality. Next Thursday, Jan. 26, the menu’s based on one of my favorite foods: beer.
Gregg Wilson from Premium Beverage Supply worked with Chef
Francis to develop a menu using beer or beer ingredients in every dish.
Ale Steamed
mussels with pancetta, kumquats, cream, fresh hops and herb saladPork Terrine
with caraway malted mustard, beer pickled vegetables, and smoked crostiniWelsh
rarebit with roasted tomato, beer braised mushrooms, fried quail egg, crispy
leeksStout
Braised beef short rib with beer braised greens, and mashed rutabagasChocolate
malt pancake with dried cherry malted ice cream, chocolate malt ganache
Dinner club
starts at 7 p.m. and the cost is $60 per person. There will be three beers
featured to drink with the dinner as well at an additional charge. Make reservations
by calling 513-929-0525.

According to The Food Channel, the second-largest dining trend this year will be virtual food communities, which explains why I got an invitation to a virtual cookie swap this season. Has it come to this? I fear that soon food will exist solely in our imaginations.